


Write Your Name Here

by Taste_of_Suburbia



Category: DC Super Hero Girls (Web Series)
Genre: Angry Diana, Angst, Barbara's driving is to blame, Batgirl's Batjet, Confessions, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Epic Friendships, F/F, Falling In Love, Families of Choice, Family, Flirting, Friends to Lovers, Friendship, Guilt, Harley being Harley, Hurt Harley Quinn, Hurt/Comfort, Insecurity, Love Confessions, Minor Injuries, Mutual Pining, Possessive Behavior, Pre-Slash Kara/Karen, Protective Diana, Romance, Self-Worth Issues, Team as Family, The Super Hero Girls are attacked by villains, Traumatized Harley Quinn, Young Love, h/c_bingo, shipwrecked
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-12-15
Updated: 2016-12-15
Packaged: 2018-09-08 16:01:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 10,844
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8851216
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Taste_of_Suburbia/pseuds/Taste_of_Suburbia
Summary: Batgirl maybe lied to her friends about passing her driving exam. The consequences force Wonder Woman to face some startling truths and for all the super hero girls to grow up just a little bit more.





	

**Author's Note:**

> Fill for h/c_bingo Round 7 for the prompt ‘shipwrecked,’ taking both a literal and figurative meaning (to ruin or to destroy). 
> 
> Take note that Diana Prince is Wonder Woman, Barbara Gordon is Batgirl, Karen Beecher is Bumblebee, and Kara Danvers is Supergirl, just 'cause they tend not to mention first names in the show. 
> 
> I love Barbara’s story arc of terrible driving in the Season 2 episode ‘License to Fly’ and wanted to expand upon that. What I love about this show is that these girls are still growing up and finding their way in the world. While this is certainly not Barbara (Batgirl) bashing, take note that the other girls do lay blame upon her for failure of disclosure. 
> 
> Check out all the super short episodes [here](http://play.dcsuperherogirls.com/en-us) or on [Youtube.](http://https/www.youtube.com/channel/UCRdVJ9XqHCb6BqApCIO_TYg)
> 
> This is set after the Hero of the Year film, but no explicit spoilers.

 

“My baby!” Barbara screamed when they _finally_ came to a complete stop.

Wonder Woman was fairly positive that exterior wise Batgirl’s Batjet appeared perfectly fine, perhaps save for a few nicks and scratches. The airborne attack had taken them by surprise, and they had only moments prior crash landed in a field much too far away from Super Hero High, leaving the five girls stranded and the Batjet a victim of engine failure. Barbara pounding on the dash relayed that last point all too well.

Unfortunately, their unknown attackers came back for a round two while the girls were still catching their breath. Harley had been babbling one moment and screeching the next, a hand pulling her out of the Batjet right under Diana’s nose. The Amazon who was still shaking off her double vision, courtesy of her head having been rammed into the dashboard and simultaneously having tried to help Batgirl steer, reached for her roommate only to realize that their intruder appeared to have four hands.

If her head had been clear then Harley never would have been taken.

Diana forced herself to push through her daze and dash after Harley, whose muffled protests only served to enrage her further. How dare they try to quiet Harley? Only she was allowed to do that! Diana stumbled outside and pushed through the tall grass, frustrated at her own dependence on Harley to start chattering again so she knew which direction to go in, like some horrible version of the Marco Polo game Harley had tried to teach her. She instinctively chose a direction and ran, trying to keep track of where she was stepping so she could try to make some time.

A sharply cut off catcall and she changed direction a third or fourth time, not like it mattered. Her head was throbbing fiercely and she huffed at her inability to move more quickly. She should have waited for one of the others…

“Diana!” Bumblebee called, and Wonder Woman jolted at her proximity. She practically ran into her before Karen veered quickly to the left to avoid a collision.

The Amazon caught a breath before speaking. “I think I found her, but we need to hurry.” She wished more than anything now that she could simply hold herself steady above the tall grass, searching for her friend, but she could barely walk in a straight line and she didn’t need to pass out before she found Harley.

Not that Karen couldn’t fill in where she was lacking.

“I see her! They’re moving pretty slow.”

Wonder Woman was about to tell her to go when Bumblebee scooped her up without warning, causing her to yelp and her vision to swim dangerously. She wanted to be put down immediately but ground her teeth and shut her eyes against the raging wind. Harley needed her and she wasn’t about to slow Karen down, not while they were gaining on them.

They landed in a small clearing that had no doubt been recently constructed by none other than Supergirl. Kara smiled triumphantly at their arrival as she held one of their attackers, a red-haired woman, by the neck, squeezing her throat none too delicately.

“Harley…,” Diana ignored the others and made her way over to the blonde. She was feeling slightly better now that she was no longer up in the air, but taking in Harley’s appearance quickly made her feel nauseous again. Harley was sprawled to the far right of the clearing, arms haphazardly outstretched and face resting against one of them. Diana carefully examined her before pulling her up, so she knew which limbs to touch and which to work her way around

Harley’s face was the most noticeable injury. Her nose was definitely broken and still gushing blood, some of it dripping down onto her thin, tight white shirt. Her face was already bruising, one eye blackened and the other leaking tears even through closed eyelids.

“Oh, Harley,” Diana’s heart plummeted deep into her chest. Her friend’s breathing was shallow and coarse, her pigtails a wreck and the remnants of them hanging limp by her shoulders. It even looked like some hair had been pulled out. There were smudges of darkness under her eyes and she knew it was more bruise than makeup, more pain than artificial injury. Her lips were bitten through, bruises along her mouth, blood leaking out of one corner…

She wanted to turn in rage to Kara’s captive, but her eyes couldn’t tear away from Harley’s vulnerable, brutalized form.

Wonder Woman honestly wasn’t paying attention to anyone but Harley, though she managed to catch a quick glimpse of something being jammed against Kara before the red-haired woman fled, an outraged Bumblebee and furious Supergirl in hot pursuit. She bit her lip, tempted to go after them, but Harley’s clammy hand brushing weakly against her own stopped her.

There were more important things than revenge.

“Diana?” Harley murmured, gasping for air given the condition of her bruised throat. The Amazon winced on her behalf, hurriedly unclipped her cape and wrapped it around her shaking friend. Night was approaching fast and the temperature was already dropping; it didn’t help that Harley was wearing completely inadequate clothes.

She wrapped the cape tighter. “Right here, Q.” After a moment’s pause, she knew they were too vulnerable alone and easily seen. Diana rarely cursed but it took everything she had to swallow it down now. “You think you want to try and make it back to the others?”

Harley nodded and Diana knew she wanted to check on their friends too, as much as she needed to tend to her roommate. The blonde’s head tipped forward and almost headed straight for the ground, if Diana didn’t grab onto her shoulders and lean Harley up against her, tucking a hand under her chin before it crashed into Diana’s collarbone. “Easy there. No need to rush.” Her hand gently moved to the back of Harley’s head, tucking it down very slowly until it rested between the blonde’s knees. “Just take deep breaths and try not to think about anything.”

Diana knew how impossible that would be, what with Harley’s mouth usually moving a mile a minute and her thoughts no doubt even more so.

Still, her friend moaned and relented, swallowing heavily several times. While she patiently waited, Diana took stock of her injuries without moving Harley or shifting much on her own. Her ankle appeared incredibly swollen, no doubt the same one she had been grabbed and dragged out by. Her fingers palpitated the area in quiet sympathy before next catching the way Harley held her arm against her chest, and it took little further observation and no more than one cringe-worthy pained cry from Harley to realize it was dislocated.

Wonder Woman’s heart sunk to see her best friend so bruised and abused. They hadn’t been separated for scarcely more than five minutes and she didn’t know which area to concentrate on first. Moreover, she couldn’t risk distracting herself by doing anything until they found the others. For all she knew, their attackers had come directly for Harley and were fighting their way back to her.

But how could she force Harley to move while in this state?

Diana made a quick decision; she could more than support her friend’s lithe form. It was a detail which seemed completely unreasonable given the mountains of food her friend consumed on a daily basis. “I’ll carry you. I don’t think I can fly, but I’m more than happy to do that.”

“Nah,” Harley croaked. “I think some walkin’ will do me some good.” She spat out a mouthful of blood and Diana wiped her mouth clean without thought.

That was Harley for you: rushing through the pain, pretending everything was okay and moving forward. Diana would have to berate her for that later, but for now she could smile and content herself that Harley was still awake and relatively okay enough to convince the two of them that she could still push on.

“If you’re sure,” Wonder Woman relented, and she didn’t say anything after that.

* * *

 

They had made it back to the others, slowly and painfully but still whole nonetheless. Barbara had rushed over as soon as she caught a glimpse of them, leading them to an area where Harley could finally sit down. Wonder Woman took the offer too, the double vision still rearing its ugly and inopportune head. She listened to Barbara as she explained the situation, and she was relieved when Kara and Karen touched down halfway through her hurried explanation.

The two immediately made their way over to Harley, only reassured when Diana gave them a nod, allowing them to face the issue of how they were going to get back to Super Hero High. Having listened to the best of her ability to Barbara, which was probably only half of all that she had told her, she knew that their communications were down, which was troubling because it meant no hope of backup unless Batgirl managed to get them on-line again.

Distracted as she was by her “baby,” Wonder Woman doubted that was a viable option. Silently and always keeping an eye on her surroundings for fear of another attack, she ran through the list of remaining options several times as she sat with her arm slung gently around a quietly suffering Harley, always coming back to sending one of them to go get help. If they had managed to grab a hold of their attackers then sending any one of them would be no issue, but even sending two while the third remained with Harley and Kara was too great of a risk. If they had been attacked in the first place in their small group of five, a group that was meant to be formidable, then how would splitting up keep them safe?

Diana was sick to her stomach. She felt defeated and weak, even more so that she had not been able to protect her friend when that monster had laid her claws on Harley. If she had been able to see which direction to go in, had gotten to Harley just a few minutes faster, then the damage might have been considerably less.

She thought about getting the trembling blonde’s shoulder set before Harley got up the energy to talk again, something which Diana had to admit she sorely missed. That was how it always was: the more they started working together, the harder it was _not_ to work with Harley. She’d become so attached to her chatter as background noise, so dependent on her optimism and confidence and her ability to make a joke out of anything. It was impossible to take anything seriously with Harley around, and they all needed a little bit of that in their daily lives, what with all the running around and fighting evil and saving people and _still_ having to do homework and show up on time to class.

Homework was the _last_ thing on her mind now.

“I don’t wanna be here anymore,” Harley sniffed. Right then and there, Diana knew she needed to do something; Harley _never_ got down about a situation. She was always the one pressing on, urging the others to keep their heads up and to fight and laugh the rest of the world away until their mission was accomplished. She was the one who never tired, who always had a joke or three to get them through anything and everything the world threw at their group.

And if Harley Quinn looked absolutely miserable, pigtails practically murdered, her whole small yet tough body practically a bruise, dried blood everywhere Diana forced herself to look, eyes clouded and wet… If she shrunk in on herself to make herself smaller than she already was, admitting defeat and begging that she wanted to be taken home, well, then the Amazon felt like a complete bitch for denying her even that.

“It’s gonna be okay, Harls.” Even though her own voice was weak and strained, barely better than Harley’s own, the blonde nodded and allowed her best friend and roommate to move her gingerly to a more comfortable appearing rock.

Supergirl and Bumblebee continued to work on Batgirl’s Batjet, but it was now that Wonder Woman realized how utterly drained and rejected Batgirl appeared. She stood off to the side, staring down at Harley with such apology in her eyes that Diana immediately held out her arm. She didn’t ask Harley first only because she knew she wouldn’t mind. Harley didn’t blame Barbara for this; she had as big of a heart as they all did, maybe even a bigger one.

Even if Barbara’s infamous tendency of not paying attention to the road - or the sky - and her complete inability to steer exacerbated this mess in the first place.

“Come sit with us, Red. We won’t bite ya.” Harley scooted closer to the Amazon until she was practically in her lap, her uninjured hand patting the empty half of a space on the rock. It would be a tight fit but they were a group if nothing else. Personal space, while not usually something they were able to find with Harley around, wasn’t something they really needed anyway.

Definitely a bigger heart, Diana smiled.

Barbara took Harley up on her offer, pulling down her hood and sitting delicately beside her, ever-mindful of Harley’s injuries every time she shifted. Time passed, how much time probably none of them were aware of, but Diana wanted to ask the other two how they were faring. She bit her tongue until Harley started dozing against her, wasn’t contented until her roommate’s soft snores were pressed against her neck and only then did she hand her off to Barbara. The redhead took her with hardly any movement on Harley’s behalf, her fingers gently running through one of her pigtails. Diana stopped to smile at the sight before joining Kara and Karen, hoping against hope that they’d made some progress.

When they got home, she’d never tell Harley to leave her be and let her study again. She’d never kick her out of her bed when there was a particularly fierce thunderstorm and Diana really needed to get some sleep. And she would never _ever_ take Harley for granted again.

“Supergirl sure knows her way around an engine.” Bumblebee gave the blonde a shoulder bump.

Kara smiled sheepishly. “It’s nothing really. Last summer with the Kents I got to work on their tractor, since it kept malfunctioning. My dad was handy with that kind of stuff too,” her eyes were dipped in misery for a moment before she wiped them off with the back of her hand. “This is a more complex piece of machinery than I’ve ever worked on, yes, but some of its components are essentially the same as the tractor, or at least have the same function.”

She moved some part into place and Karen fawned over her again. “Girl, you’re nothing if not a genius. I’m taking you everywhere with me now.” Diana smiled at Kara’s blush and how she didn’t seem to realize that Karen was flirting with her. She hadn’t been sure whether to take the step with Harley, because Harley was open about so many things but not exactly relationships or even preferences, but seeing Karen’s bolder attempts made her want to try harder. And maybe they could even help each other. “Just another reason for a mix-tape,” Bumblebee beamed, taking advantage of the fact that Supergirl _still_ didn’t know what a mix-tape was.

Kara slid another part into place and leaned back for a moment, analyzing her handiwork. “It shouldn’t be more than another half-hour. Perhaps less. Is Harley alright to hold out for that long?”

“She’ll be fine,” Wonder Woman reassured. _I_ _’ll make sure of it._

Diana relaxed when she saw Barbara sitting with Harley, holding her upright and trying to unfold her when she kept trying to crumple in on her herself. Making her way back to them, she paused and listened to Barbara’s hushed tone. “I’m so sorry, Harley. If I knew…,” she paused and shook her head, “if I knew that this was going to happen then I would have waited. Or I would have studied harder. Everyone’s been telling me that I need more practice, I just… I guess I just realize now that they were right.”

Something flicked a switch in the Amazonian princess and she fumed, clenched her fists because Harley certainly didn’t need to get caught in any crossfire. 

Unfortunately, exactly that was about to ensue unless Barbara did a whole helluva lot of explaining.

“What are you talking about?” She practically roared, and Harley straightened and let out a horrible half-whimper. Diana wanted to soothe her but she was too far gone at this point. Honestly, Wonder Woman wouldn’t be able to relax until a trained doctor told her Harley would be one-hundred percent okay, given plenty of bed rest and plenty of mother-henning on Diana’s behalf.

And now Barbara had to make her day a whole lot _worse._

The redhead trembled in place as if expecting Diana to run her down into the ground. “I don’t…,” she stuttered, “I mean…, I….” And if the situation were any less dire then she would no doubt be smiling sheepishly right now. All Diana knew was that she should have known better.

Known better than to trust Barbara when she said she passed her driver’s exam last week.

“Do you know what could have happened?” She wanted to shake the girl until her teeth rattled. Her lying and reckless behavior almost got them all killed! “Do you have any idea what _did_ happen?” Obviously she did, although she couldn’t quite seem to come up with a better apology!

She didn’t think she’d been this angry since she arrived at Super Hero High, and with one of her friends, no less.

So it could have been worse, she told herself. Barbara could have crashed into a lake or into a tree and they could have been trapped or even more seriously hurt. Yet Barbara also could have kept them in the air instead of blindly steering and pretty much forcing Diana to help her. Moreover, Diana should have realized, should have seen the signs, should have sat with Harley if she wasn’t going to pay attention!

“Why would you lie?” Kara popped into the conversation.

Diana stared hard at the redhead, hands on her hips, demanding an explanation for Harley if no one else.

The super hero currently being glared daggers at hung her head and rubbed a hand nervously across the back of her neck. She fidgeted with her hood for a moment before thinking better of hiding herself within it. “I guess I just wanted you guys to be proud of me. I wanted to know that I could do _one_ thing right.”

“Of course you can do something right,” Karen pointed out, her anger also tightly controlled. “You’re a tech wiz the likes of which I haven’t seen save for someone twice your age. You’re super cunning and you solve crimes like they’re written out on the back of your hand, and you’re kind and considerate and you fight just as hard as the rest of us, but if we can’t be honest with each other then we’re not going to be able to work together.”

Diana nodded, willing Barbara to look over at Harley for proof enough of that. She did, they all did, and damn the world and herself for cursing in the first place but it didn’t make anything better. Not this time. If any of them had gotten hurt then it would have been the same response. Harley could be fiercer and far more vindictive than any of them when she had adequate reason to be, the perfect makings of a villain if she hadn’t gotten stuck with them.

Harley didn’t have godlike powers to rely on though, like Wonder Woman and Supergirl did. She didn’t have Batgirl’s tech or crime solving skills, or Bumblebee’s flying capabilities nearly as good as Wonder Woman’s own. She didn’t have Ivy’s IQ or her healing capabilities, or Frost’s wondrous scientific brain. She wielded a mallet and all she could rely on was her confident aim, her dazzling acrobatic skills and her super quick wit. It didn’t make her the weakest link but it did reflect her fragile humanity. 

All Diana could see as she looked at Harley was a young, frightened girl. All she could see was a broken human and _not_ an unstoppable superhero.

And she hated the whole world in that split second for taking that image away.

“I have a lot to apologize for,” Barbara acknowledged, “but I suspect you guys want me to think about this for a while.” The three nodded in unison. Diana felt a pang of sympathy for her, knowing full well how much she herself hated admitting when she made a mistake, but it was a part of growing up. That’s what they were all at Super Hero High for: to help each other grow up, to learn from each other and support one another.

Now they needed to focus on getting Harley back home, safe and sound and tended to.

Diana eyed the piece of aircraft which had somehow kept them unhurt and alive when they crashed down. It was durable enough despite the engine failure; it was the driver who was the issue at hand here. Not for the moment though, she mused as she turned toward Supergirl. “Kara, how much longer until we’re up and running again?”

“Give me a few more minutes and I’m confident that the Batjet will be functioning. Karen, you have really good eyesight, want to help me finish up?”

Karen beamed under Kara’s compliment and her determined gaze. “It’d be my pleasure, girl.”

Wonder Woman paced while they continued to work, occasionally hovering over the two girls despite her better judgment and at other moments staring at Harley worriedly, who was dozing again against Barbara, who she worked hard not to be furious with again.

A sharp click behind her and Karen made an excited noise. Still, Diana waited for Kara’s nod and her confirmation to Barbara. “Okay, you can go try it now.”

Barbara anxiously handed over Harley to Diana, who sat down for only a moment before lifting her friend up gently, slinging her uninjured arm over her shoulder with careful ease and supporting her heavily over to the Batjet. Even if the aircraft wasn’t working, Harley would do better lying down than sitting up.

She hoped it was working though because they didn’t need another attack under cover of darkness, which would do them little good since their attackers knew where they had crash landed.

“We’re up and running!” Batgirl pronounced as soon as they were all tucked away once more inside the Batjet. Karen stood close to the doors and watched carefully to make sure there were no more sneak attacks until Barbara got them back up in the air. “Baby, you are sooo getting an oil change and new tires after this. A paint job too, maybe some stripes ‘cause I can afford to deck you out some mo…”

This time, Kara claimed the seat next to hers and shot Barbara a glare, which was surprising in itself. Supergirl was always the sweetest of them, the one who never had a bad word to say or a harsh look to give. It seemed that Barbara was really wearing on the last of all their nerves.

Diana was sitting far enough back, hovering over a Harley whom she had just lain down, pillow tucked securely under her head, but even she could see the hard swallow Barbara took before she nodded sharply and pulled them carefully up into the air.

Home, Diana thought contentedly as she gazed down at a fitfully sleeping Harley.

She squeezed the blonde’s prone hand, rested her head back against the wall and closed her eyes, at least happy her double vision was leaving her alone for the time being.

* * *

 

The ride was quick enough, probably because Batgirl was breaking every speed limit just like she always did, yet even more so now. Wonder Woman didn’t think she took her eyes off the road once. She could hear the world rushing by, hoped they wouldn’t run into anymore trouble because going this fast and crashing again would spell out untold disaster.

Principal Waller greeted them upon arrival and never had Diana been so relieved to see her. She could throw herself into her arms, searching for the reassurance that she had done well. That reassurance would fall flat however, because the only one she needed was that Harley would be okay. That she would make it through this, not just get right back up again but work through what had happened.

The older woman frowned when her gaze slid to Harley, lending an arm which Diana thanked her for as she lifted Harley up again. “I’ll send for a stretcher,” Waller informed. She turned aside for a moment to speak to whoever was on the other end of the comm in her ear, before turning back to a drained though patiently waiting Diana. “Let’s just get her outside first.”

Diana nodded, relieved that stars greeted her as she moved out of the claustrophobic Batjet. She had been expecting a full moon to assault her tumbling head and wavering vision, yet she was relieved to make out the thin sliver of a quarter moon, almost winking at her to tell her that everything would be alright now. It amazed her sometimes how quiet and beautiful Super Hero High was at night, under the uncluttered sky save for the stars. The school was well-lit but not overly so, not enough for Diana to feel discomfort.

Waller turned her attention again to Diana as soon as Harley was lowered down onto a stretcher and taken hurriedly to the school’s infirmary. None of them had been spared a trip to the clinic, but Harley’s lack of responsiveness and terrible appearance frightened Diana. All of them had gone for some minor injury: a broken arm, heavy bruising, a concussion… which made Harley the worst by far primarily because Diana didn’t know the full extent of her injuries or her frame of mind.

She knew the gazes of her friends mirrored her own, but her heart wouldn’t allow her to look back, to move anywhere else but forward into Harley’s recovery. She wanted to follow but the Principal’s steadying hand on her shoulder gave her pause. “Are you alright, Wonder Woman? Your head is bleeding.”

“Bumped it pretty hard on the dash when we were attacked,” Diana admitted. She had little a thought for herself; her thoughts and concerns kept straying to Harley. The blonde should be bouncing around at this point, talking about something or other that Diana only paid half a mind to.

Harley could talk about anything right now and she would listen. She would shake her and tell her never to stop talking again. What had been first grating upon her arrival at Super Hero High had become little less than comforting background noise. Silence only brought guilt and regret and worry and stress: all things Diana could have easily done without.

Waller didn’t move closer or away, merely nodded in understanding. “I’ll let you follow her then, as long as you promise to get that head injury checked out.”

She would, just after everything possible had been done for Harley.

“I will. Would it be alright if I relate what happened tomorrow? I’m so tired, and I want to sit with Harley tonight if that’s alright with you…?”

The older woman held up a hand. “I wouldn’t have it any other way. Harley will need some company tonight, and being her roommate I believe you to be the best candidate.” There was also the fact that Diana doubted she’d be able to get any sleep without Harley in the bed beside hers; just thinking about it made her head hurt all the more. “I will spend my time questioning Bumblebee, Supergirl and Batgirl until the two of you are feeling better.” She stared at the exhausted superhero warily. “I expect Batgirl is to blame for much of this, especially considering her reckless behavior of driving without a driver’s license.”

 _Don_ _’t be too hard on her,_ the Amazon almost protested. Except that was the only way Barbara was going to learn. “We didn’t know. Otherwise we never would have gone.”

Waller nodded. She always knew things regardless of being filled in, more of a comfort than Diana had realized before.  “And I’m assuming you don’t know who your attackers were?”

“No,” Wonder Woman admitted. “Though Supergirl, Bumblebee and I would be able to identify them.” _And possibly Harley._ “We all got a close look at a redheaded woman. Middle-aged, a scar down the left side of her face.” She had scarcely drawn her attention before, her eyes stubbornly fixed on Harley, but now it was all coming back to her and she knew that was a good sign.

“Perhaps a sketch artist then.” Waller paused, then turned to the Batjet. “Alright then, you go ahead now. I will take care of the rest.”

Diana exhaled, “Thank you.” She breathed deeply, tears forming in her eyes as she walked toward the infirmary. She would run if she had the energy left, if her stubborn head wasn’t acting up again. She touched her temple, fingers coming back with blood.

It hardly seemed worth dwelling on considering Harley.

* * *

 

Harley was settled into a bed by the time Diana arrived.

It had taken her long minutes to compose herself in the bathroom, wiping as much blood as she could tolerate off her face, minimizing her trembling to an occasional quiver. She had been taught that composure came almost before everything else. If one was expected to lead then one had to show empathy and concern but couldn’t afford to appear a wreck either. ‘Appearances are everything, daughter,’ her mother had always informed, though she never failed to lean close to Diana and whisper an additional reminder in her ear: ‘And they certainly don’t fail us when trying to get what we want either.’

Diana always loved that part best. She didn’t want the world to lay down at her feet, but her royal status both in Themyscira and the rest of the world certainly wasn’t a hindrance. It had its perks, as Harley would say.

The small blonde’s pale face seemed even milkier against the stark white sheets, the faded red and blue dye in her blonde pigtails doing nothing to distract from the image. A pale blue hospital gown had replaced her blood-stained clothes, and Diana found that she barely recognized her roommate without her distinctive clothes.

At least she was breathing peacefully, Diana reminded herself as she sank down into a chair at her bedside, watching the gentle rise and fall of her friend’s chest intently. She was new to this ‘sitting vigil,’ as the humans who were so used to this called it. The Amazon was patient enough, which had been a major part of her training, but even she found this part hard. She wanted Harley’s eyes to open and for her to crack a joke, not to lie there so quiet and so still.

Nurse Dolores Abernathy came up from behind her; Diana had luckily heard her footsteps before she could be startled and lash out.

“Harley will be fine,” she informed. They’d be in here enough times that they were on a first name basis by now, but somehow Dolores’ words didn’t put her entirely at ease.  The dark-haired superhero offered her the courtesy of looking upon her as she spoke, but eventually her gaze drifted downward to Harley again, monitoring her for signs of waking. “Other than a dislocated shoulder, ankle and wrist, as well as a broken nose, most of her injuries are mere bruises. There’s considerable swelling in both ankles and wrists, and the bruises on her face, throat and stomach will take some time to heal, but there’s no significant damage.”

After all that Diana wanted to object, even though she was right: Harley could have been hurt a whole lot worse. She could have internal bleeding or be in a coma.

Diana couldn’t believe _one_ person had done all this. What exactly had happened in those five minutes after their separation, and why hadn’t Harley been able to fight back?

“There’s worry of a concussion, which is why we want to monitor her tonight. Other than that, if she does well through the night than we can send her back to her dorm late afternoon tomorrow. I’m sure Amanda will clear her of her classes,” she blushed when she realized her use of the Principal’s first name, but Diana was too out of it to care much. “Now I can take a look at you.”

It took a moment for that to register too. She glanced up again, “Huh?”

“Your head. Look’s like it took a pretty hard hit, huh?”

Diana didn’t appreciate Nurse Abernathy speaking to her slow and gently as if she were a wounded animal, but then she remembered her own pale face, pinched with stress and terror, gazing back at her in the bathroom’s mirror and related all too well. “Alright,” she relented, hearing her mother’s voice of disapproval in her head at the notion of resisting. “But I want to sit with Harley afterward.”

“That shouldn’t be a problem. Just give me a half hour of your time and I guarantee you that you’ll feel better. Plus, I have to monitor you for a concussion as well.”

If that kept her with Harley, then she was happy.

* * *

 

Miraculously, she did feel better after a half hour and some significant probing. Diana knew it was little more than her god-like powers finally kicking into overdrive, meaning that if the same injury had happened to a human they likely would have cracked their skulls open. Such was her blessing and she was grateful for it, but that appreciation was dimmed considerably given Harley’s condition.

Still… Nurse Abernathy’s attention paid off. Her head hurt far less than it had and she was able to think a lot more clearly, though that last improvement wasn’t necessarily helpful as she was haunted by what had happened to Harley and how no one, not even the victim herself, had been able to prevent it.

Harley must have misplaced her mallet somewhere in that field, yet to make sure she would have Batgirl upend the Batjet later. While the mallet was of no concern compared to Harley herself, it was rare that she didn’t have it by her side, even more odd that she hadn’t used it to fend off her attacker. Harley was a marvel with the weapon, as much so as Diana was with her golden lasso of truth. Their weapons were like a second skin, an extension of themselves, of their values and their attributes.

But Harley wasn’t hitting anything in barely contained glee now.

Compared to the blonde, Diana felt like a giant. On an average day she had more muscle mass than Harley, but never had the difference seemed so stark now. Harley barely made a dent in the small twin bed; she could have been invisible if one failed to look hard enough. What Harley lacked in size, however, she more than made up for in voice and enthusiasm. If she were awake right now she’d probably be climbing the walls and singing some obnoxious pop song, sticking her tongue out at anyone who tried to coax her down. Harley hated hospitals, hated how depressing and how quiet they were, loathed what they represented.

Now it was Diana’s turn to hate them.

Until she got Harley back in their shared room, in her own bed, she doubted she’d be comforted by anything.

Diana seriously considered calling her mother, another downfall of her now more sound state of mind, but it would be a waste of her mother’s time to call her unless she was seriously injured. She had only met Harley once before, and Queen Hippolyta would hardly understand her daughter’s distraught frame of mind other than labeling it as an unfortunate side effect of her head injury.

And it wasn’t. Diana’s heart always beat loud and fast, strong too, whenever Harley was around. She was her anchor, her rope back down, her motivation. Yet until she was sure that she could easily explain it to her friends and her own mother and even Harley… especially Harley, then she wasn’t even going to open her mouth.

Patience, Diana preached to herself.

It would have to do for now.

* * *

 

Harley’s recovery proved effective to Diana’s sanity. She was back in their dorm by afternoon the next day, bundled up in her bed wearing her fluffiest robe and dozing off and on. Diana tried not to hover, but apparent concern for Harley was fair game once she was asleep and thus, unaware. As soon as she started showing signs of waking: eyelashes fluttering, whimpering softly before her pain became more pronounced and her mouth emanated one of those horrible sounding groans, shifting uncomfortably… then Diana jumped back and landed unceremoniously on her own unkempt bed, hurriedly flipping open a book and pretending to read.

It didn’t last for long. Harley was an attention seeker even while convalescing, which meant she was demanding Diana’s attention within seconds. Not that she had any issues in providing it.

This went on for two days until Diana was starting to palpably feel Harley’s restlessness; after all, she was feeling it herself. Once tracking one down, Diana dragged a small television into their room to help alleviate Harley’s boredom as she began to fall asleep less and less. It served as a temporary source of amusement until Harley started stealing Diana’s books. Her loud complaints revealed to Diana how grateful she was in distinct Harley-speak, and Diana knew that the day she stopped complaining would be cause for concern.

Another thing she knew: she was never letting Harley out of her sight again. Not only to protect her, but because she realized it was so much harder to do her job when she _wasn_ _’t_ there, watching her back. Speaking of not being there…

“Harley, where the hell are you? Get back in this bed right now!”

The blonde trickster, as always, couldn’t resist giving herself away, just in a place where Wonder Woman couldn’t see her. “Aw come on, Diana. My brain’s gettin’ all fried from those magazines!” _You_ _’re the one who likes them,_ Diana practically snorted _. You won_ _’t catch me dead reading that celebrity trash._ Still, being the good friend that she was, Harley had been getting anything on her mind that she wanted until the doctor gave her the say so that she was perfectly okay to go save the world again. Or superheroing, or whatever any of the others liked to call it. Wonder Woman took her job seriously enough to refer to it as her duty, but she wouldn’t berate her friends who hadn’t had the same upbringing as she did. “I’m just gonna go get one of those cinnamon rolls before they’re all gone. I’ll be back in a jiffy!”

_Which means never._

Harley had already changed out of her robe, which was lying deflated on Diana’s bed. The aforementioned magazines were on the floor and Diana scoffed at the cookie crumbs covering her sheets and _not_ Harley’s. Having an obnoxious and sloppy roommate wasn’t the easiest thing in the world, but cookie crumbs were a world better than dried blood and tears.

And there she goes again.

A distraction seemed sorely needed. “Harley!” She trudged after her, only pausing when Cheetah stamped her boots down directly in front of her, forcing her to stop or move around the human-shaped obstacle. She did the latter but Cheetah’s arm on her own stopped her. Diana could have moved it, but with the kind of mood she’d been in lately she was more liable to break it, so she refrained herself from touching anyone other than her still delicate roommate at this point.

“You really need to keep a leash on your roommate,” Cheetah glowered. It was only when Diana looked closer that she saw the disheveled state of Cheetah’s hair, like she just got in a cat fight with someone, and it took an even closer look to notice her empty lunch bag.

Really? She was getting worked up because Harley swiped her usual tuna fish sandwich?

If the Amazon wasn’t so enraged that Harley took off without her, she might have dared a smile. “Harley’s got a thing for tuna,” Diana informed. “Plus, she’s still not feeling like her old self. Just give her a few more days.” It was technically a lie, yes, because if Harley was feeling good enough to steal food then she was probably back to her other antics as well, but Diana just couldn’t get that image of a bloodied and bruised Harley out of her head, looking utterly dejected and even worse… broken to the point of almost being unfixable.

“You know!” Cheetah called after her as Wonder Woman hurried away, “Some people don’t sink so low as to use their injury as an excuse!”

“And some people are damn lucky they don’t get punched more often,” Diana fumed under her breath. She prided herself on her restraint through nonetheless stalked away faster to find her little blonde food snatcher.

And that’s when she realized it: _Her._ Harley was hers, her own, not just her roommate and her best friend but _hers._ When that woman touched Harley she had wanted to kill her; she was surer of that than of anything. _She_ wanted to know where Harley was, what she was doing, how she was feeling, what foods she was eating… even though that last point seemed pretty obvious.

Diana had never known herself to be possessive before, maybe just a little overprotective but here she was… wanting to know every single little thing about Harley. Not wanting anyone to talk bad about her or even look at her the wrong way. Not wanting anyone to touch her or hurt her _ever again._

“It’s okay, Diana,” Harley had told her last night, for the millionth time since they had got her back to school, at home, where she belonged. Where the _two_ of them belonged specifically. “I’m not going anywhere.”

_Never again, Harley._

Diana didn’t have the heart to tell her that she didn’t know how she could let Harley go off on her own again. Or she had too much heart, so much heart it was overflowing and leaking all over Harley’s bed and it wasn’t normal and she didn’t know what to do with it.

Maybe it was love, maybe it was falling for someone because you connected so deeply with them and you realized it at the most inopportune time.

And maybe Harley thought of her as more than a friend too.

She couldn’t even begin to imagine how Harley was feeling, or if she was feeling anything at all and hadn’t just pushed it all deep down and wanted to be left alone, which Diana wasn’t exactly aiding her with in hovering and tearing up over nothing. She wondered if Harley felt violated, if she found it hard to get out of bed, if she wanted Diana to help her more than she was letting on.

Yet she couldn’t ask Harley those things, she hadn’t a place to unless the blonde herself brought them up. Diana sighed deeply, knowing she never would, knowing the most emotional thing she would get from Harley would be a pat on the shoulder and half of a cinnamon roll if she was _really_ lucky.

Her trembling hands pushed the swinging doors open further.

“Harley Quinn!” She bellowed, eyes searching the cafeteria for any signs of mischief. About half the lunchroom’s populace looked up at her enraged visage, while the other half clearly believed their food was more important than a girl screaming her head off. She caught movement out of the corner of her eye, turned just in time to see a blonde pigtail appear and disappear just as quickly.

The sight was a relief but it hurt her too. Harley _never_ hid from her.

Hushed tones floated across the cafeteria, which had quieted down considerably since her arrival. “You better go to her then.” Poison Ivy appeared from behind the dessert lunch counter, smiling sheepishly. Her vibrant red hair was curled slightly today, though Diana followed her arm, her hand out of sight and obviously holding something she couldn’t yet see.

Harley came out next, snatching her hand out of Ivy’s, pulling on one of her pigtails nervously. “Thanks for trying, Ives.” She fidgeted with her pigtail more intensely, her shoulders slumped as she curled in on herself just like that day…

Pushing her thoughts forcefully away from _that_ topic, reality wasn’t much sweeter as what hit the Amazon next was how Harley wouldn’t look her in the eye. She either looked nervously at Ivy, who she had grown remarkably attached to in recent months, or down at the floor, as if the cracked tile smeared with food was far more fascinating than she.

Diana sighed and relented. “Did you find those cinnamon rolls yet?”

Harley shook her head and Diana turned, allowing the blonde some space and the luxury of not being glared daggers at. She searched students trays, empty trays, all the lunch counters, and thought about going through pockets before someone laid a hand on her shoulder, a hand that easily got curled up in her unbrushed hair. Oops… looked like she had forgotten to take care of herself. 

Harley’s pale complexion greeted her. She was always pale but the absence of makeup and lipstick looked startling, especially up close. “I’m ready to go back now, Di. I’m feeling kinda tired.” Defeat, Wonder Woman accepted. Harley just didn’t want to fight her.

Ivy was busy restraining one of her plants, but she took a moment to send Diana a knowing smile before the two left the bustling cafeteria, their hands empty of gooey cinnamon rolls.

Diana’s heart twisting so harshly in her chest, back and forth, spiraling up and surging down, it was a wonder she could walk at all.

* * *

 

She thought about calling her mother again, to ask her advice on how she could get a notorious secret-keeper to open up. Harley loved talking about herself unless it involved any of her few weaknesses: the biggest being that she was human. Diana knew that sometimes her roommate felt inferior to her friends and likely overcompensated due to this, but she couldn’t stand Harley constantly hiding behind that tough-girl persona.

Harley did a well-enough job at hiding, but Diana was just too damned perceptive not to notice how she was struggling with what had happened, trying anything ad everything to distract herself, which wasn’t easy when her fashion and celebrity magazines no longer held appeal and Waller still refused to allow her back into her classes.

Diana understood her frustration, especially because she missed having Harley in class being her usual distracting self, but she couldn’t understand why Harley never wanted to talk, not even her usual small talk.

She couldn’t call her mother though; as a true friend she had to handle this on her own. Maybe if she forced Harley to open up… maybe Harley would notice her intent.

The Amazon who felt more like a confused and uncomfortable human sat at the edge of Harley’s bed. The blonde folded her arms across her chest and stared hard at the TV screen, despite Diana knowing how much she hated daytime TV. ‘All that sappiness, it gives a girl the creeps!’ She would protest, feigning throwing up and usually sending Barbara to the floor in laughter.

Now, it seemed like every bit of joy had been sucked right out of her.

“Listen, Q.” Harley shook her head and forcefully pressed the power button on the remote. The TV winked out and Diana’s will surely would have too if she hadn’t held tightly onto it. “Have you thought at all about what happened? Want to work through it some?” She offered a tentative smile but Harley clearly wasn’t having it.

She uncrossed her arms and turned angry eyes toward Diana. “I haven’t been able ta think about anything, not with you hovering over me all the time! And when I do think, I wonder how the hell I’m supposed ta survive like this. I’m scared outta my wits half the time that I’m not meant ta be here. Like I’m justa toy and I can’t wind myself up again. The fact that I couldn’t get outta her grip…” She trailed off and hung her head, gaze shifting away from Diana’s quickly, like she couldn’t even accept what her best friend was willing to give her. Diana hated having wound her up but it did result in the effect she wanted, one they _both_ needed. “You guys should’a just left me.”

The dark-haired superhero felt a little bit of her own fury then. “Don’t ever say that, Harley.”

Harley sniffed, wiping her nose off on the back of her hand. Diana reached for a tissue without looking and helpfully handed it to her, surprised when Harley took it. “What do I really mean to ya guys as a team?”

Diana shifted until she was sitting directly in front of her. Her fingers slipped under the blonde’s chin and tilted her head up until Harley was forced to look at her. She _had_ to know how much she meant to Diana, but also how much she meant to the team too. “You mean _everything_ to us, Q. You’re so strong and you always think fast, and you _always_ find us a way out or have a backup plan. You have no idea how much I rely on you, how hard it is when you’re not by my side, fighting crime along with me,” she reassured.

The spark of hope was lit, Harley’s eyes shone with it. “So I don’t drag youse down?” 

Diana shook her head, heart nearly bursting with how much she wanted to use _I:_ _I love you, I want you, I need you. Just you and me, Harls. Only you and me._ “You couldn’t even if you tried, Harley.” Her hands clasped Harley’s own, thumbs brushing over her knuckles until the blonde shot her a shy smile. “And I’m sorry I’ve been so attached to you lately, I guess I just don’t know how to deal with worrying about someone,” she smiled nervously. “Especially someone who’s human.” _Even though you_ _’re the strongest, most perfect human I’ve met yet in this world._ Diana took a deep breath, preparing herself for the plunge. “Imightjustloveyoualittlebittoo,” she admitted in a rush, feeling a blush heat her cheeks.

“Come again?” Wonder Woman fumbled for several moments, determining whether she should just bite her tongue. Harley tugged on her dark hair hair playfully and Diana swatted her hand away with a smile. “No need ta melt your brains over it, Di. I heard ya well enough the first time,” Harley squeaked in unashamed glee.

And she should have known.

Diana nervously tucked her wayward hair behind her ears, averting her eyes until Harley shimmied her way out from underneath the covers, settled on her knees and impressed her hands upon Diana’s shoulders. Surprised, the Amazon turned toward Harley again only to be greeted halfway through the turn by a large wet kiss planted on her lips. She froze, unsure whether to pull herself forward or push herself back, desperately wanting so much to do the former but not oblivious to the slight trembling through her best friend’s form.

Her hand found Harley’s without looking, curling around it almost on instinct, and she was rewarded immediately with Harley’s fingers brushing over her cheek, almost as if she were painting something intimate and beautiful there. Despite the darkness of the room and the paleness of the blonde’s face under her prominent bruises, Harley emanated a light of her own, seeming to glow from within and light up the small space they shared. She was so young and so beautiful as Diana opened her eyes wider than she had ever opened them before, determined to see the complete Harley Quinn, or as much as she was willing to show her.

“Sorry I’ve been such a jerk lately.”

Diana shook her head, both her hands cupping Harley’s face, refusing to let her turn away. “You were hurt and scared and there’s nothing wrong with that, Harls. I was scared too, scared of losing you. When I saw you…,” she gasped, only continuing when Harley started brushing her fingers through Diana’s hair. “I thought you were already gone.”

“I thought I was too, and then when I knew I wasn’t I thought ya couldn’t possibly want me. Not after what happened.” She ran a hand harshly through her pigtail, as if wanting to yank it right out of her skull. Diana winced but didn’t stop her; Harley seemed to have so much pent-up frustration in her that it had to get out somehow. Short of taking her to a shooting range or a boxing ring, Diana couldn’t think of any way to help. That was what frustrated her the most: she had been powerless to protect Harley and now she was just as powerlessness to take her pain away. “I couldn’t do a damn thing, Di. Couldn’t fight back, couldn’t get away, and once I realized that and she kept hitting me so hard, just over and over again… well,” she chewed vigorously on her bottom lip until it bled again. “I froze. And super heroes don’t just freeze, they get back up and they fight no matter what.” Her voice went low, and Diana couldn’t shake how much she sounded lost, like a scared little girl. Even though Harley was just as tough as all of them. “I couldn’t find my way back.”

Her face looked forlorn then, eyes devoid of anything but misery. Diana took Harley’s hands in her own again and squeezed them, praying to the gods that Harley would allow her the means to help her work through this. “I would never abandon you or think any less of you. I love you so much, you know that, right? I didn’t really know it before I saw you then, before I thought you had been taken from me. But I want you back by my side, Harls. I could never keep you away, you’re one of the reasons I fight in the first place.”

“Really?”

“Really,” she responded with as much finality as she could muster.

Harley smiled dreamily, her thoughts having apparently drifted elsewhere. Diana really hoped she was almost back to all her mischief; that was the Harley she knew and loved and appreciated and depended on. “’Cept I don’t think your mom likes me very much.”

Diana chuckled. “Harley, you grow on _everyone._ ”

Her hands stopped fretting with her pigtails then, her posture straightening up from her slouch as she exaggeratedly puffed herself up. Diana chuckled again and melted under Harley’s playful stare. “Ya got a point, girl. Wanna make out before these painkillers knock me out again?” The question was almost shy it seemed so endearing. Diana didn’t want to inadvertently hurt Harley or even wear her out to the point of utter exhaustion, but if she could distract her with love and happiness then she figured it would do more good than worrying about her physically.

Plus, Diana really needed some of Harley’s de-stressing techniques.

“Sounds like your best plan yet.”

* * *

 

The message from Karen had been clear: _Come to the banquet hall and help with cleanup._

Barbara figured it was the least she could do after the month she’d had. After crashing the Batjet, which _no excuse_ could make up for, she’d been refused more driving lessons until after a period of six months of good behavior by Principal Waller. As if it couldn’t get bad enough, the transportation she so lovingly called _baby_ , since she was the only thing in her life that was technically all her own, had been seized by her father and locked away until further notice. She didn’t begrudge her dad that, knowing that she needed _some_ form of punishment, but she had started to hope that he would give her back to his only daughter on the condition that she not drive her.

Then again, Barbara was never very good at resisting temptation.

And why should she be? She had built the Batjet herself, had put so much time and energy and love into her. Other than her dad, whom she loved dearly, and her friends, whom she would do just about anything for, the only other part of her life she had given so much attention to was the Batjet. Some days when she was feeling down, she would go out to her dad’s garage and curl up in her, tweaking her to perfection and then daydreaming of all the adventures they would have together, just the two of them and the wide open sky.

Now though, now she needed to focus on Harley.

She’d worked her way nonstop back into Supergirl’s and Bumblebee’s good graces; not that she still didn’t have a _long_ way to go. She had tried to do the same for Diana and Harley, but the former never left the latter out of her sight and Diana herself wasn’t up to dealing with Barbara anytime soon. She got it, she really did, because Diana was so focused on helping Harley recover that there was little time for anything else, but it still hurt.

Barbara had been apologizing to her baby too - or at least in her head anyway - for her recklessness and overconfidence, but she knew full-well her friends came first. Well, maybe after her dad and Principal Waller.

So Karen’s message had come as a form of relief. At least she was being given something concrete to do, so she wouldn’t wallow in her misery and the what ifs both before and after the accident. She just hoped her friends would be somewhat welcoming.  

Barbara could hear them now on the other side of the door leading into the large banquet hall, especially Harley’s distinct squeak. She paused for a moment, trying to make out what was being said and failing, before realizing that eavesdropping certainly wouldn’t help her situation any. She grit her teeth and opened the door slowly, feeling unloved as her eyes adjusted to the darkness and took in the emptiness of the room. “Guys,” Barbara tried, crossing her fingers for a response. “I know you’re here, and I know I’ve said it before but I really am sorry. I’ve been trying to think of ways to make it up to you, _all_ of you, especially Harley. I know I owe it to all of you to make this right, but I just don’t know what else to do.” She took a step back, ready to leave the room though still wishing someone would answer her or at least turn the lights on. 

Another step back and the lights came on before Barbara could scream or more likely _cry_ in frustration. The sudden brightness momentarily blinded her; however, it was the wide smiles on the faces of each of her friends that truly blinded her and made her feel not forgotten about and loved once more.

“Happy Birthday, Batgirl!”

“…What?” Barbara murmured, taken aback by the wide array of multi-colored balloons, streamers dangling off of every piece of furniture and the large banner with her name printed across it. The trouble her friends had gone to in order to put this together… damn, but she hadn’t even remembered it was her birthday!

Her father stepped forward, holding out his arms for her until she stumbled into them, barely able to hold back her tears. “Happy birthday, pumpkin,” he whispered.

She wiped her nose off on his shirt, discretely, of course. “Thanks, daddy. I don’t quite know what to say.”

He nudged her into letting of him and steered her back around to face her eagerly awaiting friends. “Then maybe you should say something to them.”

Except… well, that was even harder. “Thanks, you guys,” she settled on. It was still hard to look them in the eye sometimes, but she no longer found scorn or judgment there. “I can’t tell you how much this means to me, not to mention the fact that I never expected it.”

“It was our pleasure,” Kara smiled warmly, handing Barbara a party hat and fidgeting with the one currently on top of her head.

“Yeah,” Karen cut in, scooting close enough to Kara that their elbows touched. Barbara wondered about those two sometimes… “We figured you’d done enough sucking up to us for the time being. But you should really thank Harley. She’s the party queen after all, came up with the idea and organized everything.”

Harley…

“Happy happy birthday, Red!” Harley squealed, nearly giving Barbara a heart attack as she popped up behind her: one of the blonde’s trademarks. Harley’s arms were stuffed with an assortment of gag gifts, streamers and balloons she had yet to blow up, and to Barbara there wasn’t a happier sight. Harley’s bruises were all but faded and her spirit seemed as if it had never been broken, but Barbara wouldn’t delude herself into ever believing again that any one of them was indestructible. Now that they all knew of each other’s weaknesses, they could help each other all the more.

Diana appeared next and also from out of nowhere, ridding Harley of some of her current prized possessions. There was a glowing look of adoration on her face as she gazed at Harley, even more so when she brushed a stray streamer out of one of the blonde’s pigtails. Barbara was relieved to see that Diana looked great too, aware that she had taken a hard hit to the head… and no doubt one to the heart too. Kara had filled her in several days ago that Diana disclosed a relationship with Harley to their small circle, one that she wanted to keep secret for now, and Barbara couldn’t be more thrilled for them.

It was one good thing to come out of what had happened. That and, as her father reminded her, learning experiences were never meant to be taken for granted.  

“Happy birthday, Barbara,” Diana greeted with a smile that looked one part relieved and another part approving. It was a worthy distraction before Harley pied her in the face, laughing hysterically and dancing around them all. The coconut cream pie tasted _amazing_ as she brushed it off her cheek and licked it off her finger, though she dearly hoped it hadn’t been her birthday cake. Regardless, she laughed right along with everyone else, even with her dad, because at least they were all together again. 

Surrounded by her loving and forgiving friends, Barbara really could say that it was the best birthday she had ever had.

* * *

 

Now that Principal Waller had apprehended the villains who had attacked them, a group of four who had held an undisclosed grudge against their principal, and now that Barbara was doing everything she could to make up for what happened, Diana could finally focus on _other_ aspects of her life.

It was the third bathroom Diana had seen Harley mark up. Well, she hadn’t actually _seen_ the blonde trickster in the process of using a Sharpie to vandalize school property, but who else would write the name _Harley Quinn_ on bathroom stalls or on bathroom walls? Not to mention the sloppy cursive, underachiever handwriting. Diana had noticed it several days ago though hadn’t yet confronted her girlfriend on it, partly because having a relationship was still so new to her, and also because the plus sign that was always written directly under the name was something she couldn’t quite figure out.

 _It must be a human thing_ , she reasoned, though thought better of asking Bumblebee or Supergirl about it. Even Ivy, who seemed to have the deepest friendship with Harley.

So one day she tried something new.

Her hands dug out a black Sharpie lying in wait at the bottom of her backpack. Harley had used a blue one on this particular wall, always one for color where she could get it, and Wonder Woman smiled as she filled in the empty space under the familiar handwriting:

Harley Quinn

+

_Diana Prince_

**FIN**

**Author's Note:**

> It’s amazing to me that this started as a mere 1000 words and then it just grew and grew and grew… kinda like Ivy’s plants. 
> 
> I also totally meant for that last line to be Diana's first disclosure of a human last name :)


End file.
